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Nov. 8th, 2008 09:19 amThe Guardian give Julie Bindel space to call us all pig-fuckers. I've written something in the comment thread on the post but this is being printed up in the Saturday Guardian so I'll also write a letter and post it off too.
What I said in the thread:
OK, as one of the protesters from Thursday evening, maybe I can add some perspective.
As Julie says above, she has apologised for the tone of her original articles in the Guardian way back then. However, people weren't offended just by the tone but by the content, and it's the content people found equally offensive, even this year she is still not accepting transsexual women as 'real' women, and doesn't believe transsexual men exist.
Although the genesis of the demo was in Julie's nomination the purpose of the demo was only to protest against Stonewall, through emails and phone conversations in the weeks leading up to the Stonewall Awards their chief exec, Ben Summerskill, made it clear that they would not withdraw Julie's nomination, even though she had not won. Though they might say they aren't an organisation for transpeople they surely have many members who are both lesbian or gay AND trans.
As for the 'pulling up the ladder' nonsense about letting other spurious sexual practices in, that is beneath contempt and especially sad to hear from someone who came of age in the darkest days of gay liberation. It is sad that Julie has internalised so much of the Haterist doctrine of those times and now seeks to find a different sub-section of society to unload it on is tragic, especially as so many of the things she claims to dislike so much about transspeople are things which strike her closest to home concerning her identity.
On a final note, to encourage some actual reportage at the Guardian, a quick note about Thursday night. Things were chilly and some times damp but incredibly good natured, there was absolutely no trouble and indeed the police commented on how well behaved everyone was. There was much chanting and singing, to prove how it wasn't about Julie we didn't even notice when she walked in. Although some sources place the number of demonstrators at 70 it seems they counted early before most protesters turned up, counts made at the height of the demo vary between 100 to 140. By contrast, 'The Julie Bindel Fan Club', who tried to rally support online by claiming we were vicious, evil people, managed to have ten people on the other side of the entrance and soon sloped off.
As recently as yesterday, Julie was promising vengeance on us all for standing up to her. Now she wants to be left alone? Fine. It's all in her hands. We reacted to what she said. What happens now is up to her.
What I said in the thread:
OK, as one of the protesters from Thursday evening, maybe I can add some perspective.
As Julie says above, she has apologised for the tone of her original articles in the Guardian way back then. However, people weren't offended just by the tone but by the content, and it's the content people found equally offensive, even this year she is still not accepting transsexual women as 'real' women, and doesn't believe transsexual men exist.
Although the genesis of the demo was in Julie's nomination the purpose of the demo was only to protest against Stonewall, through emails and phone conversations in the weeks leading up to the Stonewall Awards their chief exec, Ben Summerskill, made it clear that they would not withdraw Julie's nomination, even though she had not won. Though they might say they aren't an organisation for transpeople they surely have many members who are both lesbian or gay AND trans.
As for the 'pulling up the ladder' nonsense about letting other spurious sexual practices in, that is beneath contempt and especially sad to hear from someone who came of age in the darkest days of gay liberation. It is sad that Julie has internalised so much of the Haterist doctrine of those times and now seeks to find a different sub-section of society to unload it on is tragic, especially as so many of the things she claims to dislike so much about transspeople are things which strike her closest to home concerning her identity.
On a final note, to encourage some actual reportage at the Guardian, a quick note about Thursday night. Things were chilly and some times damp but incredibly good natured, there was absolutely no trouble and indeed the police commented on how well behaved everyone was. There was much chanting and singing, to prove how it wasn't about Julie we didn't even notice when she walked in. Although some sources place the number of demonstrators at 70 it seems they counted early before most protesters turned up, counts made at the height of the demo vary between 100 to 140. By contrast, 'The Julie Bindel Fan Club', who tried to rally support online by claiming we were vicious, evil people, managed to have ten people on the other side of the entrance and soon sloped off.
As recently as yesterday, Julie was promising vengeance on us all for standing up to her. Now she wants to be left alone? Fine. It's all in her hands. We reacted to what she said. What happens now is up to her.